Body of Builders
Everyone knows that there are not enough developers in the Legislature—not until they make up 100% of both chambers. And the governor agrees. Well, it's not so much that we need more developers as we need more development. Lots of it. In his world of dreams, Spencer Cox really believes that more development means more affordable housing. "A lot of the people who argue that regulations are causing inadequate supply don't appear to have looked at the numbers," writes the website Shelterforce. In other words, it's not that simple. It involves demand, location, the workers moving into a city and so much more. Now the Legislature, according to the Deseret News, is looking at greasing the skids for developers to streamline the subdivision process and, as they are wont to do, penalize cities for not acceding to developers' demands. You can expect to see more free-wheeling construction, but don't expect it to lower prices or affect homelessness.
My Ballot, My Choice
Maybe you don't know this, but many laws are enacted because just one person complained to their legislator. Sometimes it's more than one, but lawmakers like to show how responsive they are, even if it's not to their general constituency. So it is with Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), an alternative voting method that's proved to be both popular and effective in reducing partisan bickering. Who doesn't like it? Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski, who—BTW—won her election in a field of eight candidates. After a grueling recount, she won by just 21 votes and yes, RCV gave her the majority. That's what RCV does—it eliminates second and third choices until the winner ultimately has more than 50% of the vote. Utah has been running a pilot program in which 21 municipalities opted into RCV, and the polls showed that the public liked it. While opponents say it's too confusing, they are simply not giving the voter enough credit. Watch the Legislature to see what they're cooking up, because they probably like the tradition of negative campaigning that RCV works against.
Outdoor Diversity
The Salt Lake economy says "thank you" to Outdoor Retailer as it returns to the state that it left in a huff of indignation. Yes, the outdoor tradeshow made a statement when it left in 2017. That was when its members noticed that the Legislature wanted to take over federal public lands for ... wait for it ... development. But ethics gave way to the bottom line as they fled Colorado for not living up to expectations. The best part of their return, though, is their continued advocacy not only for public lands, but, as KUER 90.1 noted, for diversity and inclusion. "We can no longer afford to show white and male, white and female alone, as if they are the only people recreating in these spaces, because that's the wrong message to put out," said the co-founder of Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge. Tell that to our legislative white male majority.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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